


Aftermath

by Lalapie



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Magic still exists, Modern Thedas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 00:56:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4857095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalapie/pseuds/Lalapie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the explosion Ella Lavellan wakes to find herself confined to a hospital room with minor injuries and no memory of the events that placed her there, whatever has happened seems to have caused her to miss the job interview for which she flew to Ferelden; a seeming once in a life-time opportunity to join the organisation founded by Justine Dorothea, former Prime Minister of Orlais, to promote peaceful integration of mages into society. However, missing the interview quickly becomes the least of her concerns when Ella discovers she’s the main suspect for the act of terrorism that landed her in hospital and killed hundreds, including the Justine. </p>
<p>Surrounded by humans suspicious of her Dalish background and status as an apostate Ella feels isolated and friendless. Only her lawyer, Varric Tethras, and the strange psychiatrist he has found to help prove her memory loss seem to believe she isn’t a cold hearted mass killer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Everything I know about police force and police work I learned watching ‘Life on Mars’ and reading the Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch, these are both british, the first is set in the 70’s and the second is about magic using police officers so I make no claims on accuracy. Also I’m using British/Aussie officer ranks to match my British/Aussie english and make references to the Westminster system of government.

Ella woke with a faint ringing in her ears. It was high pitched and persistent, sitting on the edge of her awareness and pulling her from sleep. She became aware of other noises; a regular instrumental beep and hum of the buildings vents blowing warm air into the room. Maybe that was just Dorian's heating system, a necessity in Ferelden this time of year, and no need to be alarmed. Ella realised the bed felt odd too, the sheets and pillow where a stiff over-starched cotton and Dorian had put soft flannel sheets in his guest room. As she rose further to consciousness she became aware of a faint dull throb emanating from her temple. She tried to lift a hand to touch the place but the feeling of cotton bandages met her finger-tips instead.

Her eyes snapped open as she became too aware that she wasn't where she’d expected to be; in her friend’s luxurious penthouse apartment. The room around her turned out to be small, dimly lit and clinical with blinds drawn across the small window. The beeping came from a heart rate monitor attached to her and it's pace had increased with her panicked pulse. Definitely a hospital. However that didn't explain her rather alarming company; two fully uniformed police officers stood either side of the door to the room.

'What the hell is happening?' She asked, sitting up.

Neither officer officer answered her, but exchanged a look and one opened the door to speak to someone outside. 'The suspect is awake, get DCI Pentagast.'

Suspect.

The word echoed around Ella's head with the ringing and she looked down and the bandages on her arms and drip in the back of her hand. Was she dreaming? The last thing she remembered was turning in for the night after going out to meet Dorian's friends, and having a few too many drinks considering the early start she would have…

Ella gasped as she realised that if that was last night to day was the day. The day of her interview for the position with the organisation run by her Idol, the honourable Justine Dorothea; the former Prime Minister of Orlais and the first woman to hold the role, who upon leaving the position had taken up campaigning for equal rights and treatment for mages across southern Thedas. This interview was the chance of a life-time and the reason Ella was visiting the half-frozen country in the middle of winter. But if she was here, whatever she had gotten caught up in was stopping her from being there.

She instinctively looked around for her smartphone, to check the date, text Dorian, find any clue about what was going on. But of course, the suspect had undoubtedly had it confiscated. She was beginning to feel dizzy and sick.

The door opened again and a very authoritative woman entered, striding across the room and flicking on the lights beside Ella's bed as a second, quieter, woman followed and shooed the uniformed officers out.

'Cassandra!' The second woman admonished as Ella blinked at the sudden brightness. 'Don't mind Detective Chief Inspector Pentaghast's rudeness, she thinks she owns every room she enters. I'm Detective Inspector Nightingale, but you can call me leliana .'

DCI Pentaghast, or Cassandra, made a dismissive noise as her colleague suggested they raise the back of Ella’s hospital bed and get her some more pillows.

'So you can sit up and be comfortable while we have a chat.' leliana smiled at her with warmth. 

Ella found her hands were shaking and clutched the thin blanket. They couldn't know much about her, or they wouldn't try such an obvious good cop bad cop piece on her.

The Detective Inspector settled herself elegantly on the plastic chair at Ella’s bedside smoothing her skirt over her knees and smiled at her like they were old friend catching up over coffee. ‘Now I must tell you, you aren’t required to answer any questions we ask you, but if you do what you say may be used as evidence latter, do you understand?’

Ella nodded mutely, this was fairly standard for a police interview. 

'This was found on you.' leliana said and passed Evelyn a plastic bag holding a battered lanyard ID with her own face and name, stating she was a visitor with permission to access Justine's offices. An ID she’d been told was waiting for her but she had no memory of collecting 

'Is it yours?'

'Yes, I mean that’s me.' Ella puzzled.

'Why were you visiting Justine's office?' leliana continued.

'I'm a law graduate, I have been following her work for a while, I was visiting for a job interview. I'm sorry but what does this have to do with anything?' Ella asked. 'What's happened? Why am I here?'

'There was an explosion, at the office of the former Prime Minister.' Cassandra said curtly. 'A lot of people were killed, including Justine Dorothea.'

leliana closed her eyes with a silent sigh at Cassandra's bluntness.

Ella felt her mouth fall open in shock. The ringing in her ears was growing louder again, and she thought she might faint. 'Oh creators, all those people.'

Cassandra gave her a hard cold look, as if assessing her display of grief before asking her next question; ‘Were you awhere that Justine was meeting with the leaders of the mage rebels and the Templars to try and end the recent violence?’ 

‘No! No, I had no idea.’ 

Cassandra pulled a large colour photo from a folder and leaned past leliana to hold it in front of Ella's face. 'Do you know what this is?'

It looked like an old fashioned mobile phone, the indestructible kind they called bricks, with it's plastic case cracked open and pieces added. Ella frowned and shook her head.

'We believe this is the detonation device for the bomb. You were found in the wreckage with it.' Cassandra accused. 'Your fingerprints are all over it, how can you explain that?'

They thought she did it.

Ella took a shuddering breath and tried to collect herself against the panic that was clawing at the inside of her chest. 'I don't know. I don't know what happened, I don't remember anything!'

Cassandra tucked the photo back into the folder she carried and crossed her arms over it. ‘I’m going to ask you again, this time think carefully and consider if that’s really the answer you want to give me.’ 

‘I’m telling you the truth, I don’t remember.’ Ella imported. 

She watched as the two women exchanged a look for a moment and felt anger and adrenaline rising to join panic bubbling in her throat. 

‘We know all about your past.’ leliana said softly. ‘We know you are an apostate, we know about your involvement in student politics in Starkhaven and your connections to Kirkwall. A Dalish elf with your background turns up in the center of an explosion that kills the leaders of the Templar order and you expect us to believe it’s a coincidence?’

‘I expect you to believe it because I’m telling the truth!’ Ella insisted. 

Her outburst didn’t phase Detective Inspector Nightingale who cooly arched an eyebrow in response.

‘Am I under arrest?’ Ella asked. ‘Because if I am I’d quite like legal representation now.’ She crossed her arms over her body and looked between the two stern women. 

‘Very well, Ellana Lavellan, you are under arrest for detonating an explosive device in a public place causing multiple deaths and grievous bodily harm.’ Cassandra said coldly. 

Ella closed her eyes and dropped back against her pillows. She heard the sound of the chair scrape against the linoleum floor and two sets of feet move towards the door. 

‘We’ll talk again soon, Ellena.’ leliana promised before the door clicked shut behind her. 

 

‘So tell me, are you innocent?’

iI don’t remember what happened.’

'That'll get you everytime.' Varric sighed sadly and shook his head. 'All right kid, Varric Tethras' first lesson in constructing a criminal defense: if you can't remember what happened then spin a story, something dull and boring, it's more believable and less prone to result in premature execution. Although execution isn't legal in Ferelden, that's just a problem in Kirkwall.'

Ella tried to return the reassuring smile Varric gave her but she was feeling washed out from crying and from her physical injuries. She had felt so alone and distraught before the best criminal defence lawyer in southern Thedas turned up at her door, if anyone could help her it was the man who had successfully defended Marian Hawke after her boyfriend exploded Kirkwall’s house of parliament. Ella’s friends back in the Freemarches had gotten Varric Tethras to catch the first possible flight to Ferelden to represent her, she didn’t even want to think about how much they must be paying him to drop everything like that.

'Don't worry,' Varric patted her hand where it sat on the bed covers. 'Even if you did go to court for this, and you won't because Cassandra isn't as thick as she seems, no jury will convict you. A pretty girl with a tragic backstory, struggling to overcome disadvantage? We’ll show them what an angel you are, you'd bat your baby blues and any jury will be putty in our hands.' He tried to catch her eye and see that she was listening. 'Alright?'

'Alright.' Ella echoed.

'Good. Now, we need a tale for the detectives. You're a recent grad, you drink a lot of coffee?'  
Ella nodded her agreement.

'Easy then, you had a few minute to kill before your interview, went in search of a caffeine fix, that’s why you were found on the ground floor of the building rather than in HR on the fifth floor, it’s where the cafe is. You found the device and though it was a lost phone and were going to turn it into lost property when the blast when of. Simple, simple is best.'

'I did have a late night the previous night. I probably needed coffee.' Ella mused.

'That's good,' Varric nodded. 'But I hope you weren't partying, gives the wrong impression.'

Ella shook her head. 'Just dinner with new friends.' 

'Now we just have to check for anything conflicting with our story. Did you have any other plans? Or just popping in and out for your interview?’ Varric asked checking over his notes.

Ella had had plans. 'Well I had another meeting arranged. My friend Emma Trevelyan, she’s the one who hired you? Her aunt told her about the job and she told me. I was going to meet her aunt Vanessa and have a chat before my interview.'

Varric looked at her sharply. 'What time and where. Is there a record of you arranging this meeting?'

'I guess there is, we exchanged some texts. I was to meet her outside the small conference room on the second floor at 10:00.' 

'Oh kid,' Varric sighed sighed. 'This is bad. The bomb was on the second floor.'

'Oh,'

'And Cassandra has your phone, she can place you there, about ten minutes before the blast.' Varric sat back heavily in his chair and tossed the notes he was holding onto the bed. 'Lesson two in constructing a criminal defense: never tell a lie to the police when they have evidence to disprove it.'

Ella was beginning to feel the biting panic returning. 'I'm sorry.' She said wringing her hands together.

'It's not your fault, Ella. We'll still sort this out.' Varric said kindly, but clearly tiered.

'But what can we do now? You said they'd never believe I can't remember what happened!' Ella panicked. 

'We prove it. We'll find a psychologist, or a psychiatrist, whichever is better, who can testify that you are telling the truth.’ 

‘Will that work?’ Ella asked.

‘I hope so.’ Varric shrugged. ‘Can’t say I’ve tried it before. Cassandra’s like a dog with a bone, if you are innocent sooner or later she’ll uncover something that proves that.’  
Varric stood and collected his documents and tucked them back into his briefcase. Pulling a slim sliver phone from his pocket he walked to the door of the room. ‘If you’ll excuse me, it looks like I’ve got some calls to make.’


End file.
